


Breathe

by Sincerely_Sierra



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: Domestic Coven, Domestic Discipline, F/F, Holidays, Motherly Cordelia, Punishment, Spankings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-31 14:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21447787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sincerely_Sierra/pseuds/Sincerely_Sierra
Summary: Cordelia allows Mallory to do as she pleases, until she realizes Mallory is doing wrong. She punishes her accordingly.
Relationships: Cordelia Goode/Misty Day
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> This exact plot was requested a few times, so I put a rush on it. I had the most fun with this! I must reiterate, this is not meant to be sexual. 
> 
> —Sincerely, Sierra

Cordelia returns from the grocery store to a disaster. She can hardly recognize her once-beautiful kitchen beneath a mess of flour, brownie batter, and. . .smoothie residue? Her pretty cabinets are splattered with a purple substance, maybe blended grape or pomegranate, and the countertops are nearly invisible thanks to a lovely gradient of yellow cupcake batter spilled over from her expensive metal baking bowls.

  
Heat rushes to Cordelia’s cheeks as she puts her purse and reusable grocery bags down in horror. At first, she can’t find any words to express her anger and disgust. She scans the area for someone—anyone—to yell at and demand an explanation, and begins to walk towards the island, when she steps directly in a puddle of smushed berries.

Recoiling in disgust, the supreme calls out for the girls. The house is quiet, the only noise being heard the heater running to fight the freeze they’ve been experiencing this winter. Cordelia slips off her puffy coat and drapes it over a kitchen chair as she steps over puddles of mess and filth. 

“Mallory? Zoe? Come down here, right now!” Cordelia shouts up the stairs. The vein in her forehead begins to throb. 

She recalls leaving Zoe, her second woman in command, in charge while she ran to Kroger to grab some last-minute supplies for Christmas dinner, which is in less than a week. It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but with her wards and students not helping her out with the preparation, it feels more like a personal hell, and returning home to a baker’s tornado certainly doesn’t alleviate the stress. 

When neither girl responds to her calls, the supreme goes upstairs to locate anybody she can find. Most of the students went home to be with their families for Christmas, leaving just a few witches behind to spend the cozy holiday with Cordelia and Misty. 

“Girls! What in the hell happened to my kitchen?!” Cordelia shouts down the hallway as she throws open the doors in turn. 

Misty, who had been studying in the ancestral room, approaches her disgruntled lover of three years, and removes her new reading glasses that she hates wearing but Cordelia forces her to wear to preserve her eyesight. 

“Delia? Why are you yelling?” Misty asks. “I am trying to read.”

“I take it you have not seen the kitchen in awhile,” Cordelia deadpans. “There’s. . .a goddamn mess down there! Brownie batter all over the place, fruit on the floor, cake mix on the counters! Where is everyone else? They need to clean it up immediately!”

Misty frowns and places her warm hands on Cordelia’s cheeks, stroking her thumbs over the bones. Cordelia relaxes into the caress, closing her eyes as her breathing levels out into a steady rhythm. She’s unsure if Misty is using her magic to calm her down, or if her touch is naturally that magical, but it satiates the rage inside her for the moment. 

“Shh. Relax,” says the swamp witch, continuing her gentle ministrations on Cordelia’s face. “Calm down for a second. It’s almost Christmas. No need to get all worked up and in a fuss.” 

“I know, I know,” Cordelia sighs, looking at her feet. “I just need to know what happened and who did it so we can fix it. I have to start preparing for the holiday and I can’t take the extra stress right now. Where is Zoe? I left her in charge.”

Misty retracts her hands and nods, then pulls Cordelia close. Cordelia returns the favor by picking through the strains of golden curls and twisting them between her fingers. 

“Right,” Misty says. “I think I saw Mallory come from down there. She went to her room with Coco. I haven’t seen Zoe since you left. I think she went out with Madison to see a movie. Or, at least that’s what Madison screamed at me when I asked where she was going.” 

“I’ll talk to her later,” Cordelia insists with a hint of apology in her voice. 

“I know you will.”

Cordelia quietly sighs and quickly kisses Misty’s forehead before brushing past her, marching to Mallory’s room. She throws open the door and barges in, her soft demeanor morphing into that of an angry mother. 

Mallory and Coco are giggling about something, sprawled out one of the beds. They both jump into a sitting position when Cordelia practically slams the door into the wall and effectively knocks a framed picture off its thumbtack. 

“I know Zoe and Madison aren’t here, and Queenie is stuck sick in bed, so one of you is responsible for the mess in the kitchen,” Cordelia says. “Now, you can own up to it now and clean it up and I’ll forgive you, or you can deny it and I’ll yell while you still clean it up. Pick one.”

Mallory slightly shrugs and puts her hands behind her back while Coco gives her the side-eye, clearly confused as to what Cordelia is referring to. 

“Oh, so you mean to tell me neither one of you made the huge disaster? The cake mix? The brownie batter? Is there a ghost I don’t know about?” Cordelia asks, her brows raised. “I can’t even see my damn kitchen! Somebody did it and it has to be one of you. Just fess up and please clean it. No repercussions if you do it now.” 

Mallory chews her bottom lip and keeps her hands behind her back. Coco remains bewildered and looks between her supreme and best friend, attempting to piece something together.

“Let me see your hands,” Cordelia tells Mallory. 

Mallory shakes her head. Cordelia reaches out and grabs her hands from behind her back, pinning them between her own by her wrists before inspecting them. Sure enough, there are traces of chocolate under Mallory’s fingernails and her fingers are sticky to the touch.

“Mallory, you need to clean the kitchen right now,” Cordelia softly demands. “I need the house clean for Christmas. Now is not the time to test my temper.”

“I’ll do it later, I promise,” Mallory sighs. “It was an accident. I was making a smoothie and the top came right off the blender.” 

“And the cake batter? And flour?” 

“I was trying to make Christmas cookies for you, but it didn’t work out. So I tried making a a cake and then I accidentally tipped the bowl over. I ran out of cake mix and decided to try brownies, but I got distracted and came up here. I’ll clean it up, I swear!” Mallory insists, fluttering her eyes at Cordelia with her infamous baby face. 

Cordelia wants to be angry and swear at the girl. Mallory knows better, and she’s generally the most obedient out of all the witches at Robichaux’s, but lately she’s provided Cordelia with a streak of defiance and empty promises. Cordelia pretends it’s a tough phase they simply have to ride out and allow to pass, though she fears it is becoming more than that.

“It needs to be done by this afternoon, or I’ll have to punish you,” Cordelia declares. “Now, I’m going to put the groceries away. When Zoe and Madison get back, we are going to go over the plan for Christmas Eve.”

Before her vein has the chance to burst, Cordelia leaves the room, closing the door softer than she opened it. As she’s practicing her deep breathing Misty taught her, she hears Mallory speaking to Coco. 

“Punish me? She’s not gonna do anything,” Mallory says, almost laughing. “I’m her favorite.”

“I don’t know, Mal, she can be kinda scary sometimes,” Coco replies, quieter. “Just go clean your mess before she gets to screaming. It’s almost Christmas and I just wanna get drunk and sleep.”

“I said I’ll do it later. She can wait.”

Cordelia clenches her fist and gnaws on her lip to prevent herself from cursing. She has to remind herself that she would never hurt her girls, and that’s the only affirmation that convinces her to back away from the door and join Misty in the ancestral room, where she sits next to her and admires her as she reads a spell book. For the moment, there is nothing more beautiful in the world. 

+++

After becoming so caught up in spending the afternoon with Misty, Cordelia unintentionally allowed the thought of the eyesore that is her kitchen—and her groceries—to disappear. It isn’t until Zoe and Madison return home that she is reminded of the mess, and the throbbing starts again. 

Zoe observes the kitchen in confusion, and Madison laughs to herself, swearing that somebody is “going to get their ass whooped.” Cordelia rushes downstairs and stifles a scream. 

“I told her to clean this up!” Cordelia cries. 

“Who?” Madison asks. 

“Mallory! I caught her batter-handed! She’s still not listened to me,” Cordelia says, disgruntled. 

“So you need to make her clean it up,” says Zoe, though her mannerisms and body language are much calmer. “It’s almost Christmas and the house needs to be neat for our Yule log tomorrow. It’s the solstice, remember?”

Madison swipes some cake mix off the counter and licks it off her finger. She scoffs and rolls her eyes, and Cordelia briefly contemplates smacking them to the back of her head, but Misty would not be too fond of that gesture.

“Please, that stupid girl has you wrapped around her little finger, Cordy,” says Madison as she wanders over to the fridge to find a snack. “She’s not going to do what you say because she knows you’ll let her off the hook regardless.”

“That is not true,” Cordelia sternly replies, somewhat offended by that accusation. “I hold everyone accountable for their actions around here and treat them accordingly.”

Again, Madison rolls her eyes. The urge to crack her in the mouth becomes even stronger for Cordelia, and the only thing that prevents her from doing so is the supreme’s ability to count to ten and breathe.

“You do not!” Madison jabs her finger in Cordelia’s chest. “Mallory is your fucking pet, your little princess. It’s a wonder she hasn’t suffocated from being wedged so far up your ass! We all know it’s because you know she’s next in line for supreme and so you just let her do whatever she wants to without actually doing anything to stop her. Mallory can ruin the kitchen and get away but god forbid I don’t wash my plate after dinner. I smell something, and it’s called bullshit!”

“Watch who you are speaking to,” Cordelia snaps at the young woman. 

“See? Now, if Mallory said that to you, you’d just stand there and take it like her bitch. Bullshit.” 

Cordelia’s vein pulses harder and her jaw clenches. Zoe gently steers Madison away from the conflict and looks over her shoulder at Cordelia with sorrow in her eyes, shaking her head in dismay. 

“What?” Cordelia asks. “Do you agree with her?”

Zoe purses her lips. “No comment.” 

The pair go upstairs, leaving Cordelia surrounded in Mallory’s mess. Sighing to herself, she grabs a damp dishcloth and begins to wipe away the batter herself.

+++

Yule is much more laid back than Christmas is. The typical tradition is the witches burning a log in the ancestral room and joining together as one while they play a holiday record on the record player. It’s the calm before the storm; the sanity before the chaos that is Christmas Day. 

Queenie is feeling more like herself tonight and has come down to relax next to her sister witches as Cordelia and Misty prepare to light the log. Everyone is present and accounted for during this special occasion. . .except for Mallory. 

Dropping the matchbook she had been holding onto for the last ten minutes in anticipation for Mallory’s arrival, Cordelia sighs in annoyance. Zoe and Madison, who are cuddled up on the couch closest to the fire place, look at her with uncertainty. 

“Where is Mallory? It’s almost seven. She was supposed to be here at six. We can’t start without her,” says Cordelia.

Misty wraps her arms around Delia’s waist. She attempts to placate her by shushing her gently, but Cordelia only becomes more upset. Queenie gets her phone and calls Mallory, just to be responded to with voicemail. 

“I told her to be here on time,” says Cordelia. “Did she say where she was going?” 

“To the mall to get her secret Santa gift,” Zoe replies. “That was hours ago, though. You think something happened to her?”

“No, I usually feel something when something has happened.” Cordelia begins to pace around. “This is just pure negligence on her part. She knew her obligation and still chose to be late! It’s Yule, for Christ’s sake! We are supposed to be together!”

Misty guides Cordelia onto the loveseat and starts working her literal magic by rubbing her back and sending a wave of peaceful auras into her. 

“Okay, just calm down,” Misty whispers. “She will be back and you can handle it after tonight is over. I’m going to start the record now. Just breathe.”

Misty gets up and places the needle on the record, and Silver Bells begins to play softly. Despite the fire not yet being lit, the atmosphere becomes just a little cozier. 

When the Cajun is sitting back next to Cordelia again, Cordelia whispers close to her ear so the others can’t hear. “Is it true? Am I too easy on Mallory?”

Licking her chapped lips, Misty shrugs, but the telling look in her eyes speaks volumes. Cordelia sighs to herself and rubs her temples. At this moment, Coco wanders in carrying a tray of mugs. 

“Alright, I’m here! Guess what I made!” Coco says enthusiastically. 

“Cocoa,” Zoe says, deadpanned, while staring at her with a very unamused look.

“Hey, you weren’t supposed to actually guess!” Coco exclaims in disappointment. 

“Well, you’ve told that same stupid joke every Yule for the last four years,” Madison spits. Zoe smacks her knee and gratefully takes a hot mug from the tray, smiling at Coco. 

The front door opens and shuts, and Cordelia springs to her feet. Mallory enters, removing her coat and throwing it on the couch. Upon seeing everyone expectantly staring at her, the young witch furrows her brows. 

“What?” she asks.

“Don’t you dare act like you don’t know what,” Cordelia growls. “Today is Yule and you were supposed to be here an hour ago. This is something we do as a coven, as a family, and you could not have bothered to be on time.”

“I’m sorry, but the Uber driver took forever to get to me and then we got caught in this clusterfuck of traffic,” Mallory says with a half-assed shrug. “I haven’t missed anything. It’s just Yule, not Christmas or anything important. Chill out, Cordelia.”

Madison has to cover her mouth to smother her grin. Zoe and Queenie exchange a look of pure horror, eyes widened to the size of salad plates. Misty pretends she heard nothing of this conversation, and continues to get the log situated in the fireplace while Cordelia’s blood pressure rises to the ceiling.

“Did you just tell me to chill out?” Cordelia asks in disbelief. “You never speak to me that way, especially considering you’re already on my bad side. And you couldn’t even bother to call me to say you would be late?”

“My phone was dead.”

“Just like you’re gonna be,” Madison snickers. 

Cordelia shares a look with Misty before smoothing her festive dress out. 

“I’ve had it,” declares the supreme. “I can’t keep babying you. I let you get away with things, I clean up your messes, and I don’t discipline you the way I do everyone else. That ends here. Come with me.”

Cordelia grabs Mallory’s wrist and drags her kicking and flailing up the stairs to her office. Upon entering, Cordelia slams the door behind them and waves her hand, enchanting the locks, before she places Mallory on the sofa. The younger necromancer must have heard the tales of Cordelia’s secret punishments inside her office when no one can hear them scream, because she begins to cry silently, as if expecting to be murdered. 

“You have never experienced this,” Cordelia states as she opens her desk drawer. “It’s about time you did.”

“Experience wh-what?” Mallory stutters. She shrinks away as Cordelia approaches her with one hand hidden behind her back. 

“I thought Madison would tell you, as many times as she has been in here,” Cordelia says, shaking her head. 

Cordelia moves her hand and reveals a wooden ruler, the hard old-fashioned kind that never snaps in half no matter how hard you bend it. The supreme flips it over to show Mallory the weathered backside; it’s a little splintered and decorated with tiny red spots.

“Is that blood?” Mallory questions. “That’s sickening! What kind of monster does that?”

“I’ve tried to be nice to you,” Cordelia says. “I’ve tried being reasonable and kind. I’ve punished everyone else for even their first offense but let you get away time and time again. I’m too easy on you, and I hold you to a different standard.”

“Because I’m your favorite,” Mallory whimpers. 

“That’s the biggest problem,” Cordelia replies. “I shouldn’t have a favorite. So I’m going to do this, but I’ll be more gentle with you than I am with the repeat offenders. Now, pull down your pants and underwear.”

Mallory’s doe eyes widen. She rapidly shakes her head. 

“No! That is sick and disgusting!” Mallory cries. “This is so perverted!”

“Perverted? I would never do something like that. I would never touch you in that way. This is nothing sexual,” assures Cordelia. “Please do as I say. Or I’ll have to be harsher.”

The threat remains clear. Swallowing hard, Mallory lifts her oversized sweater and pulls down her black tights after kicking her boots off her feet. She pushes the thin material all the way down to her ankles and steps out of them, leaving herself in only her sweater and underwear. 

Cordelia nods in approval of Mallory’s obedience, but she uses the ruler to point to the simple fabric left covering her behind. Fumbling with shaky fingers, Mallory pulls them off like ripping off a bandaid, then closes her eyes as a tear falls.

“Why are you crying? I’ve not even done anything yet,” Cordelia says. 

“I—I’ve never been spanked before,” Mallory sniffles. “My parents never hit me. They loved me. They would never approve of you doing this to me.”

“Are you insinuating that I don’t love you based on the fact that I have to discipline you? Maybe if your parents had done this, you wouldn’t be in this position now, would you? Now, I’m going to sit here, and I want you over my lap,” Cordelia explains as she takes a seat on the couch. “And as for your parents, they have no standing in this academy. You were an adult when you signed off on the enrollment papers. You are responsible for your own actions. Over my lap.”

Mallory shuffles closer, easing her way towards Cordelia. She hesitates, hands covering her groin area, and then Cordelia suddenly flips her around so she’s belly-first over her lap. The young witch squirms and wriggles around, desperately trying to find a somewhat comfortable position this way, and Cordelia pins one arm behind Mallory’s back, the other between her thighs, and then traps Mallory’s legs in between her own. 

“Stop moving,” demands Cordelia. 

“Please, I don’t want this,” Mallory sobs. “I’ll be good from now on. I’ll listen and be on time and never make another mess again! I promise! Please don’t hit me!”

“That is something you should have thought about before you made your mistakes and took advantage of my kindness.” Cordelia gently taps Mallory’s bottom with the bloodied side of the ruler, preparing her. “You get five with my hand, then ten with the ruler. You move or try to get away at any point and I will start over. Are we clear?” 

Mallory groans and nods into the couch cushion.

“That is not an acceptable answer.” Cordelia taps her left butt cheek with the ruler.

“Yes, I understand, Cordelia,” Mallory whines. 

“Good. Just breathe.”

Setting the ruler aside for the moment, Cordelia takes a deep breath and quickly delivers a hard smack to Mallory’s behind. The girl yelps out and clenches her eyes closed.The subsequent two are quicker and closer together, but they hurt just the same, if not more. 

“Stop,” Mallory whimpers. “Please!”

“We’re just starting out, darling,” Cordelia says. “Remember, don’t move.”

Mallory stays still when Cordelia uses her palm to give her another hard slap against her butt cheek. It stings more than her eyes do as she cries in humiliation and pain. The last spank with Cordelia’s hand is ten times as rough, and the sound is similar to that of a belt snapping. Mallory cries out and bites one of the pillows on the couch. 

“Good,” Cordelia says, admiring his still Mallory has remained thus far. “Keep breathing.”

“No! No, no!” Mallory screeches as she feels the newly-familiar sensation of the wood dragging across the aching skin of her bottom. “Please not that! I learned my lesson! I’m sorry!”

“It’s too late for that, Mallory,” Cordelia says. “Breathe.”

Aligning the ruler with Mallory’s right butt cheek, Cordelia makes sure the girl is properly secured in her hold before she cracks it down on the baby fine skin. Mallory screams and sinks her teeth into the pillow again. The splinter digs into her flesh and creates a very tiny gash that will heal by the time this is over, but it’s enough to burn in the meantime.

Cordelia provides no mercy with the next three hits, one after the other. Mallory sobs with each one as they’re given, pleading out empty promises to behave if Cordelia would stop. But she doesn’t stop.

“You need to breathe,” Cordelia tells Mallory after the fifth spank knocks the wind out of her. “It’s going to hurt more than it should.”

“Stop it, please! I’ll be good! I’m sorry I was late!” Mallory’s pleas are only met with another hit with the wood. “Oww! You’re hurting me!”

“That’s the point, Mallory,” Cordelia hums, touching the reddened, blistered flesh. “You will never learn on your own. This needs to be done to show you that you do not have the authority here. I do.”

“Ahh!” Mallory howls as Cordelia uses all her force to deliver two more spanks. 

“You’ve been, quite frankly, a little shit lately,” Cordelia tells the girl. “You aren’t listening. You never clean up your messes. You ignore my rules. You disrespect me. You think you hold authority because you are next in line. You try to walk all over me. You can act self-entitled at times. That’s seven faults, and each of those is worth a spanking. I’m going to give you these last seven very fast but very hard. Breathe or it hurts more.”

Mallory whines and whimpers, gasping for air. Cordelia readjusts her position so her back is straightened and she’s holding onto Mallory with a grip tight enough to hurt. Then, she raises the ruler and provides the angry flesh with seven sharp hits, not once stopping, no matter how hard Mallory cries and begs for forgiveness. 

When all is said and done, the backside of the ruler is slightly bloody. Mallory’s backside is no better. Her butt cheeks are fire red and cracked in some areas, but it’s nothing that won’t heal with a little magic lotion. She’s trembling like a leaf in the wind, whining and moaning in pain. 

Cordelia puts the ruler down and pulls the girl up into her lap, avoiding sitting her directly on her bottom. She brings the shaking young lady into her chest and cradles her lovingly. 

“Shh, shh,” Cordelia shushes, rocking her back and forth. “It’s alright now. You took it well. It’s over now.”

“You—You hit me,” Mallory sobs. 

Cordelia uses a tissue to gently wipe the girl’s nose and cheeks. Mallory hiccups in her chest and holds onto Cordelia as her lower half trembles from the trauma. 

“I know. I had to,” says Cordelia. “You are almost twenty-two. It is unacceptable for you to act the way you do. You are not a baby. You are capable of cleaning for yourself and being responsible for your actions. I just let you get away with everything because you are special to me. But it’s unfair to the others that they are punished and you aren’t. So now, any time you do anything you know is wrong, I have to punish you the way I did tonight. Believe me, I hate having to do it, because I don’t enjoy seeing blood or hearing you cry. It breaks my heart. But if that’s what I need to do, I will.”

“It hurts,” Mallory sniffles. 

“I have some lotion for it in my desk. But first, I need you to understand what you did wrong. So tell me,” Cordelia insists. 

“I. . .made a big mess and didn’t clean it up like you said.”

“And?” 

“I didn’t listen to you and stayed out too late without calling to explain.” Mallory’s voice quivers, thick with tears. 

“Right. Will you do it again?” asks Cordelia. Mallory shakes her head. “That is not an answer.”

“No, I won’t do it again. I promise,” Mallory hiccups. 

Nodding in approval, Cordelia lifts her off her lap and carefully sits her on the couch. She grabs the lotion she created herself in the greenhouse after a particularly bad night with Madison, and sits back down, pulling Mallory over her lap again. 

“No, don’t hit me again!” Mallory struggles to escape, kicking and yelling. 

“Shh, no no. Hey, stop crying,” Cordelia gently coos. “I’m just putting this on you so the wounds will close up quicker. Just stay still for me, okay?”

Mallory stops moving and relaxes the slightest bit as Cordelia rubs a fair amount of the yellowish goop over her blistered flesh. Cordelia closes the bottle and grabs Mallory’s underwear and tights, helping her dress. The girl winces every now and then but not enough for Cordelia to be concerned if she went too far. 

“Now, I want you to join everyone else so we can have a peaceful solstice,” Cordelia says. “You don’t have to explain anything to them.”

Mallory composes herself and wipes her face one last time, nodding. 

“One more thing,” Cordelia says as the girl begins to exit the room with a limp. “I still love you. I love all of you the same. That will never change. No matter if I have to spank you a million times. I will always love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Cordelia waves her hand, lifting the enchantment, and Mallory slinks out. The supreme puts the ruler and lotion away, then fixes her pillows, and pulls herself together before joining everyone else in the ancestral room where Misty is preparing to finally light the Yule log. Mallory is curled against Coco, who is lovingly stroking her hair but not questioning anything.

“Everything good?” Misty whispers to Cordelia. 

Cordelia smiles and picks up the matchbook. She kisses Misty’s cheek. “Never better. You ready?”

Misty nods, and Cordelia lights a single match and throws it into the fireplace, effectively lighting the log. The record spins, playing traditional Christmas music, and the witches gather around the fire with mugs of hot coco warming their hands. In this moment, Cordelia feels true peace on earth. 


End file.
